and it began with a plea gabrielle giffords. who was severly injured in a mass shooting herself. catherine heenan has more. >> catherine: giffords friends say it took hours of practice for her to get ready for her statement. since being injured in a mass shooting in arizona in 2011.she has trouble walking and speaking. but it was her testimony that many people wanted to hear. her husband mark kelly would later say that if there had been tougher background checks. >> to miniature of tran are dying. too many! too many children are dying....his wife might have been spared. or if there had been a limit on the size of ammunition magazines.the shooting that wounded her might have been more limited. also testifying today. the head of the national rifle association. he didn't give much ground.saying he does 'not' support the expansion of background checks for gun sales. senator dick durbin of illinois also passed on the sad news of one of the latest victims of gun violence in chicago. a 15 year-old honors student named hadiya pendleton. killed tuesday in a park minutes after taking a fin